Further observations on the function relating the voicing boundary to changes along a place continuum

Abstract

At the last meeting, I presented data showing that the function relating the voicing boundary for stop consonants preceding /a/ to changes along a place continuum (F2 and F3 transitions) was generally increasing but had an unexpected peak around the labial-alveolar boundary, where the F2 transitions were flattest. The data were from a single subject—myself. In the meantime, data from several other listeners have obtained, revealing some striking individual differences in the overall shape of the function, but also some agreement in its local variations. Three new series of stimuli were constructed with different steady-state frequencies of F2 but identical F2 onset frequencies. Their purpose was to shift the point where the F2 transitions become flat up and down the place continuum, in order to determine whether the peak in the voicing boundary function would shift, too. Preliminary data suggest that peaks in the function are not related to flatness of F2 transitions. Data from several listeners will be reported.